Disabling operation of features on a handheld mobile communication device based upon location

ABSTRACT

Methods and devices for implementing subsystem or functional aspect restrictions on a wireless handheld communication device. Data defining geographical boundaries of a restricted operating area is stored on the device. The present position of the device is ascertained and a determination is made whether the device is located within the restricted operating area. A restriction on the subsystem or functional aspect is imposed when it is determined the device is within the restricted operating area. The subsystem or functional aspect restriction can be communicated to the device via a wireless communication network. Additionally, the restrictions and boundaries can be communicated to the device as part of an IT security policy.

FIELD

The present disclosure is directed toward a wireless handheldcommunication device, and more particularly, to controlling a cameramodule on the device using restrictions within defined geographicalboundaries.

BACKGROUND

With the advent of more robust wireless communications systems,compatible handheld communication devices are becoming more prevalent,as well as advanced. In a broader sense, these devices are referred toas handheld electronic devices, which include devices withoutcommunication functions. Where in the past such handheld communicationdevices typically accommodated either voice (cell phones) or texttransmission (pagers and PDAs), today's consumer often demands acombination device capable of performing both types of transmissions,including sending and receiving e-mail. The suppliers of such mobilecommunication devices and underlying service providers are anxious tomeet these demands, but the combination of voice and textual messaging,as well as other functionalities such as those found in PDAs, havecaused designers to have to improve the means by which information isinput into the devices by the user, as well as provide betterfacilitation for the user to navigate within the menus and iconpresentations necessary for efficient user interface with these morecomplicated devices.

Due to recent advances in technology, digital camera components are nowsmall enough to be placed inside handheld communication devices so thatthe devices are able to take and store digital pictures. The addition ofa digital camera to these devices has proven to be quite popular amongthe general population. However, many corporations and governmentalagencies are wary of small portable cameras, like those provided bythese devices.

Camera lenses are commonly made of glass or plastic. They are used todirect beams of light onto the image sensor. The aperture, which iscontrolled automatically in most digital cameras, controls the amount oflight that passes through the lens to the image sensor. The digitalshutter regulates the image sensor's exposure to light. Specifically,the digital shutter simply turns off the image sensor, essentiallyserving to close the “shutter”, and thus eliminating the need for themoving parts found in an analog camera. However, some digital camerassupplement a digital shutter with a mechanical shutter.

The focal length of a digital camera is determined by the image sensor'ssize and the distance from the lens to the subject to be photographed.As the image sensor gets smaller the focal length will also be reduced.Similarly, as the camera nears the subject to be photographed, the focallength will also be reduced. The focal length of the lens is usuallyadjustable to a limited extent. In digital cameras, the adjustability ofthe focal length is described as the optical zoom of the camera.

In a digital camera, the image sensor is typically either a CCD(charge-coupled device) or a CMOS (complimentary metal oxidesemiconductor) sensor. Both of these sensors transform the lightinformation into electrical signals.

The resolution of the images produced by the image sensor is defined interms of pixels or megapixels, which is approximately one millionpixels. More pixels enable the camera to produce pictures of higherresolution. For a 4×6 picture, a two megapixel digital camera producesan image that is comparable to a standard 35 mm camera. Similarly for a8×10 picture, a three megapixel digital camera produces an image that iscomparable to a standard 35 mm camera.

The electric signals produced by the image sensor are sent to themicroprocessor, where they are processed and configured to be stored inan electronic format. Picture formats include TIFF, JPEG, and otherfamiliar types. The picture can then be saved to a fixed storage deviceinside the camera or a removable storage device associated with thecamera. Examples of storage devices are on-board flash memory, compactflash memory cards, and secure digital (SD) cards. Picture files arenormally compressed by software to increase available storage space.

The display for a digital camera is commonly a LCD (liquid crystaldisplay). The display can be used to preview the “scene” before takingthe photograph as well to show pictures stored on the camera orassociated storage device. The display also normally facilitates userconfiguration of camera settings. Specifically, the user typicallyutilizes buttons or controls on the device housing to navigate thegraphical user interface of the camera.

All of the components of a digital camera can be located within thehousing of a handheld electronic device, thereby expanding the device'sfunctionality to include photography. The pictures taken with thesedevices are generally stored onto a fixed memory within the device.Other devices make use of the removable memory options typically used tostore pictures in digital cameras.

Portable cameras can be used to take pictures of confidential documents,classified research, prototypes, and other confidential subject matter.The pictures can then be stored on the device and subsequentlytransmitted wirelessly. Thus, confidential material can be improperlydivulged and/or used for improper purposes. The ubiquitous presence ofhandheld communication devices in the business environment makes itdifficult for businesses to control their use. The present disclosure isdirected to a security system that can be utilized to disable certainfeatures of the devices, such as an associated camera. Additionally, thepresent disclosure presents a way for an administrator to controlcertain device functionality on a geographical basis.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Exemplary methods and arrangements conducted and configured according tothe advantageous solutions presented herein are depicted in theaccompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 a is an elevational view of a handheld communication devicecradled in a user's hand;

FIG. 1 b is an elevational rear view of a handheld communication deviceshowing an integrated camera assembly;

FIG. 2 is block diagram of an exemplary communication system in which ahandheld communication device may be used;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of an exemplary wireless handheldelectronic device incorporating a trackball assembly;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating components of a host system in anexemplary configuration in connection with a communication network andhandheld communication device;

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary QWERTY keyboard layout;

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary QWERTZ keyboard layout;

FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary AZERTY keyboard layout;

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary Dvorak keyboard layout;

FIG. 9 illustrates a QWERTY keyboard layout paired with a traditionalten-key keyboard;

FIG. 10 illustrates ten digits comprising the numerals 0-9 arranged ason a telephone keypad, including the * and # astride the zero;

FIG. 11 illustrates a numeric phone key arrangement according to the ITUStandard E.161 including both numerals and letters;

FIG. 12 is a front view of an exemplary handheld electronic deviceincluding a full QWERTY keyboard;

FIG. 13 is a front view of another exemplary handheld electronic deviceincluding a full QWERTY keyboard;

FIG. 14 is a front view of an exemplary handheld electronic deviceincluding a reduced QWERTY keyboard;

FIG. 15 is an elevational view of the front face of another exemplaryhandheld electronic device including a reduced QWERTY keyboard;

FIG. 16 is a detail view of the reduced QWERTY keyboard of device ofFIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a detail view of an alternative reduced QWERTY keyboard;

FIG. 18 is a block diagram representing a wireless handheldcommunication device interacting in a communication network;

FIG. 19 illustrates an exemplary diagram showing the mobile device incommunication with a communication network and a satellite; and

FIG. 20 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a methodfor restricting operation of the camera on the handheld communicationdevice.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As intimated hereinabove, one of the more important aspects of thehandheld electronic device to which this disclosure is directed is itssize. While some users will grasp the device in both hands, it isintended that a predominance of users will cradle the device in one handin such a manner that input and control over the device can be affectedusing the thumb of the same hand in which the device is held. Thereforethe size of the device must be kept relatively small; of its dimensions,limiting the width of the device is most important with respect toassuring cradleability in a user's hand. Moreover, it is preferred thatthe width of the device be maintained at less than ten centimeters(approximately four inches). Keeping the device within these dimensionallimits provides a hand cradleable unit that users prefer for itsuseability and portability. Limitations with respect to the height(length) of the device are less stringent since more importance isplaced on maintaining the device's hand-cradleablability. Therefore, inorder to gain greater size, the device can be advantageously configuredso that its height is greater than its width, but still remain easilysupported and operated in one hand.

Users have indicated a preference for handheld devices that also featurea digital camera in addition to voice and data communicationfunctionality. Digital cameras operate along similar principles as theiranalog counter parts. Digital cameras are comprised of a lens, an imagecapture device, a microprocessor to process the image, a storage deviceto store images, and a screen to display images. Traditionally, amultitude of buttons and switches located on the camera housing providedthe user with the controls to take pictures, adjust camera settings, andmanipulate the stored pictures. A dedicated camera control button ispreferably provided on the housing of the handheld device to providequick access to the program for controlling the camera. Further detailsregarding components and operation of the camera/camera module will beexplained later in this description.

The description below mentions several terms that are considered knownto those skilled in the art. Several examples are discussed in thedescription thereby disclosing more specific examples of the terms usedherein.

When a camera is incorporated into a handheld communication device,there is a potential for carrying the device into places wherephotography is prohibited. Methods and apparatus are presented hereinthat impose a camera or other functionality restriction on the devicewhile it is located within such a restricted area. Furthermore, anadministrative policy is described such that the functionality of ahandheld device is limited based upon administer settings for thehandheld device.

In addition to the digital camera, the handheld communication device caninclude memory, a position determiner, a controller, and preferably aconfiguration signal receiver. The memory of the device is capable ofstoring various types of data including data defining geographicboundaries of a restricted area and data defining a restriction imposedon the wireless handheld communication device relative to the restrictedarea. The information stored in memory can be received wirelessly,downloaded through a specialized port, or preloaded on the device. Theposition determiner typically receives satellite-based information thatdefines a present geographical position of the device and the positioninformation can be used to determine whether the device is presentlylocated in the restricted area based on a comparison to geographicalboundaries of restricted areas stored in memory. The controller adaptsthe functionality of the device based on the determination of whetherthe device is presently located in the restricted area. Preferably, aconfiguration signal receiver is also located within the device thatreceives configuration data from an enterprise administrator. Thisconfiguration data received from the enterprise administrator ispreferably the geographical boundaries of the restricted areas and isstored in memory. Furthermore, the controller can disable thecamera/camera module when the device has been determined to be locatedin the restricted area.

In another embodiment, the handheld communication device with anincorporated camera includes a processing means, memory means, positiondetermining means, and control means. The processing means allows forreceiving, processing and outputting electronic data and for outputtingcontrol signals. One example of possible processing means includes amicroprocessor. The processor means is also capable of performingmanagement tasks related to the various components and attachments tothe device including communication subsystems and the display.

The memory means stores data that defines geographical boundaries of arestricted operating area and data that defines a restriction that isselectively imposed on the wireless handheld communication device basedon whether the device is located in the restricted area. Theserestrictions can be established by implementing an IT policy at anorganizational level, group level, or individual user level. Therestrictions can be modified by an administrator or other person withthe authority to change the policy settings on the IT policy server.Examples of memory means include a flash memory device, a read-onlymemory device, and a random access memory device. Furthermore, thememory means is capable of storing additional information that isdescribed below in greater detail, in relation to FIG. 18, includingprograms 358, application data, address books 352, identificationinformation, device state 350, IT policy information 362, connectioninformation 360 and other personal information management (PIM) 354.

The position determining means for ascertaining a present geographicalposition of the device utilizing satellite-derived information anddetermining whether the device is presently located in the restrictedoperating area based on comparison to geographical boundaries of therestricted operating area stored in memory. The position determiningmeans for ascertaining the present geographical position is preferablybased on the global positioning system (GPS). Other systems thatfunction similarly are also described later.

The control means imposes the defined camera restriction on the devicewhen it is determined that the device is presently located in therestricted area.

In another embodiment, a method for remotely implementing anadministrative policy on a wireless handheld having an incorporatedcamera is presented. The method involves storing data at the wirelesshandheld communication device that defines geographical boundaries of arestricted operating area of the device; ascertaining a presentgeographical position of the device utilizing satellite-derivedinformation and determining whether the device is presently located inthe restricted operating area based on a comparison to the storedgeographical boundaries of the restricted operating area; and imposing arestriction on the device when it is determined that the device ispresently located in the restricted area. Additionally, the datadefining the restrictions to be imposed can be stored on the wirelesshandheld communication device. These restrictions are to be imposed whenthe device is located in the restricted area. Furthermore, the wirelesshandheld communication device receives data that defines geographicalboundaries of a restricted operating area of the device. The abovedescribed elements can be combined together to produce differentvariations of methods to restrict the operation of the device.

The above described device restrictions can be a number of differentdevice restrictions. For example, it is desirable to restrict the use ofa camera, the communication network on which the device is capable ofoperating, ringers, removable media, speaker phone, e-mail programs,downloading of data, short range communication ports, or the like. Whilethe restrictions may be described in relation to the camera, otherrestrictions can be substituted for the camera including the abovelisted subsystems or functional aspects of the handheld device.

As previously described, it is desirable for certain individuals ororganizations to restrict the operation of a camera that is mounted onor connected to a handheld mobile communication device. Exemplarilyembodiments of the handheld device 300 and associated components, camera550, and communication with a satellite 520 can be seen in FIGS. 18, 1b, and 19. In a preferred embodiment, the digital camera 550 or one ofthe above described functions is restricted based upon the geographicallocation of the device. Data regarding the restricted operating area orzone 530 is stored on the device. This data is preferably received via awireless communication network 319, as shown in FIG. 19. However, it isalso possible that the data for the restricted zone 530 is receivedwhile the device 300 is connected to a cradle. This data preferablydefines a set of geographical boundaries within which camera restrictionis desired. This data delimiting the geographical boundaries ispreferably defined in terms of coordinates. Other data may be used todefine the geographical boundaries as is desired in order to effectivelyprocess the data received by the handheld 300 from a positioning system.Preferably, the position is determined via satellite data, but theposition can also be determined using data received from thecommunication network 319 upon which the device 300 is operating.

As depicted in FIG. 19, the device 300 is capable of receiving datatransmitted via satellite 520 to determine position. The satellite 520is preferably a GPS satellite, yet in other embodiments the satellite520 can be another type of satellite, such as a GLONASS (Global OrbitingNavigation Satellite System) satellite, equipped to transmit data to areceiver for determination of position information. The data transmittedby the satellite 520 relates to time information, which can be used bythe processor 338 of a receiving device 300 to determine position. Inorder to obtain an accurate position determination, data from fourdifferent satellites is preferred while position information can beobtained if only three satellites are able to transmit data. Otherpositioning systems may use a similar or different satelliteconfiguration requirement than the GPS system. One skilled in the artwould be able to make the necessary adaptations to allow the device 300to function with the appropriate satellite system. Additionally, othervariants of GPS such as differential GPS and WAAS (Wide AreaAugmentation System) allow for greater accuracy in positiondetermination through the use of additional data. Preferably, thedetermination of the location of the device is made using a speciallydesigned processor for position determination. This position informationcan be in turn relayed or transmitted to the main device processor 338for display purposes or other control purposes.

Additionally, the location of a handheld communication device 300 can bedetermined by using the wireless network infrastructure 319. If thedevice 300 is in an area of coverage such that three transmitters of thewireless network can communicate with the device 300, a triangulationmethod of device location may be implemented. Other techniques forlocating the handheld communication device 300 using communicationnetwork transmissions for position determination of the device are alsoconsidered within the scope of this disclosure and are easilyappreciated by those persons skilled in these arts.

An administrator or user of the device, can store data defining thegeographical boundaries of the restricted area using current positioninformation on the device. This enables a user or administrator to walkor otherwise move about the periphery of around the restricted premisesor area to define the boundary of the restricted zone. As the user walksthe perimeter, boundary location coordinates can be generated using thedevice and which define the geographical boundary of the restrictedarea. The boundary location coordinates are obtained by positioning orholding the handheld device at a particular location proximate to thegeographical boundary and defining the location as a set of coordinates(or other location data) as part of the saved data. The user oradministrator can store multiple locations to create a “fence” using thedefined geographical locations. Alternatively, the geographicallocations can be used to define entry points to a building or premises.An administrator can use the device as a way of setting the geographicalboundaries of a restricted area that is to be used in the course ofestablishing special IT policies relative to the defined area. Once thedata defining the geographical boundary has been stored on the device,the data can be transmitted to a control server. The control server canbe enabled to distribute the stored data to other wireless handheldcommunication devices as part of an applied administrative or IT policy.The data can be transmitted to the devices through a variety ofdifferent ways, but it is preferably wirelessly transmitted to thedevices. Further, the distributing transmission can be made as part ofan administrative or IT policy as will be described in greater detailhereinbelow.

Once the position of the device 300 has been determined, its location inrelation to the geographical boundaries of the restricted operating area530 is determined. As exemplarily shown in FIG. 19, the device 300 islocated within a restricted zone 530. In a preferred embodiment, aposition determiner 337 is implemented to receive satellite-basedinformation that defines a present geographical position of the device300 and determine if the device 300 is located in the restricted area530 based on a comparison to geographical boundaries of the restrictedarea 530 stored in memory. The information regarding the position of thedevice 300 is preferably processed by a specially designed circuit aspreviously described. Then, this data is used by the position determiner337 to determine the location of the device 300 with respect to therestricted area/zone 530. The determination of the relative position ofthe device 300 can be made on a continuous basis or at predefinedintervals in order to optimize battery life of the device 300. While thedevice 300 is located within the restricted area 530, a controlleradapts the functionality of the camera based on the imposed camerarestriction.

The camera restrictions are preferably set by an administrator and theserestrictions can be aimed at different aspects or levels offunctionality. One restriction would be complete disablement of thecamera 550. Disablement of the camera 550 can be handled by restrictivesoftware associated with the camera 550. When a user attempts to accessthe camera function, a message can be displayed on the screen 322indicating to the user that the device 300 is inside a restricted area530. In another embodiment, the restriction is a temporary disablementof the camera 550. This temporary disablement can be designed such thatthe camera 550 is disabled for a predetermined period of time. Thisarrangement can be used in situations in which the user is attending ameeting being held in a restricted area 530 for a certain period oftime. Once the time elapses and the user will have presumably left therestricted meeting area, then the ability to use the camera 550 isallowed to return to its normal state of operation. This prevents theneed for resending additional information over the wirelesscommunication network 319 to allow camera 550 operation. For example,the predetermined time can be a set real time or an elapsed period oftime. Another restriction that can be placed on the camera 550 is that asource-identifying watermark can be embedded in the digital image takenwith the camera. This identifying watermark can include a device serialnumber, a telephone number associated with the device 300, carrieridentification information, or the like so as to positively identify thedevice 300 and probable user associated with the picture. Other camerarestrictions are possible such as prohibition of flash photography andlimiting focal distance, among others.

Instead of restricting the operation of a camera 550, other devicerestrictions may be imposed. For example, an organization may wish torestrict the operation of the device such that it would only enableoperation on a local network such as Wi-Fi connection in theorganizations facilities and prevent the device from communicating viaother communication networks, such as the wide area network, such as thecellular network. Likewise, certain restrictions can be imposed onsending and receiving data. If the requested amount of data exceeds apredetermined amount set by administrator or if the data applicationitself is determined by an administrator to be too data intensive, thedevice will prohibit the access to the data until an acceptableconnection can be made such as the organization's Wi-Fi connection.Furthermore, an organization may wish to disable certain devicefunctions such as e-mail, messaging programs, ringers, games, or otherannoying functions during scheduled meetings. Additionally, theorganization might wish to limit access to removable media (encrypt dataon removable media), disable speaker phone capability, disableBLUETOOTH® communications, or other similar functions based uponorganizational policies.

As previously mentioned, the data defining the geographical boundariesis stored on the device 300. Preferably, this data is stored in thememory 324 of the device 300 which is electrically connected with theprocessor 338. The data defining the geographical restrictions ispreferably transferred via the wireless communication network 319. Thedata defining the geographical restrictions and camera restrictions canbe received by the device via the standard device receiver 312. In atleast one embodiment, a configuration signal receiver processesconfiguration data that has been transmitted from an enterpriseadministrator. This configuration signal receiver can be adapted tofunction with the below described IT policy system.

The IT policy system presented herein is intended to serve as anexemplary implementation of an IT policy system. The descriptionprovided herein is designed to illustrate how the handheld communicationdevice 300 can communicate with an IT policy server through a hostsystem.

The mobile device 300 includes a connect module 360, and an IT policymodule 362, as shown in FIG. 18. The connect module 360 implements thecommunication protocols that are required for the mobile device 300 tocommunicate with the wireless infrastructure and any host system, suchas an enterprise system, with which the mobile device 300 is authorizedto interface. An example of a wireless infrastructure and an enterprisesystem is given in FIG. 4, which is described in more detail below.

The connect module 360 includes a set of APIs (Application ProgrammingInterfaces) that can be integrated with the mobile device 300 to allowthe mobile device 300 to use any number of services associated with theenterprise system. The connect module 360 allows the mobile device 300to establish an end-to-end secure, authenticated communication pipe withthe host system. A subset of applications for which access is providedby the connect module 360 can be used to pass IT policy commands fromthe host system to the mobile device 300. This can be done in a wirelessor wired manner. These instructions can then be passed to the IT policymodule 362 to modify the configuration of the device 300. Alternatively,in some cases, the IT policy update can also be done over a wiredconnection.

The IT policy module 362 receives IT policy data that encodes the ITpolicy. The IT policy module 362 then ensures that the IT policy data isauthenticated by the mobile device 300. The IT policy data can then bestored in the flash memory 324 in its native form. After the IT policydata is stored, a global notification can be sent by the IT policymodule 362 to all of the applications residing on the mobile device 300.Applications to which the IT policy pertains then respond by reading theIT policy data to look for IT policy rules that are applicable.

The IT policy module 362 can include a parser (not shown), which can beused by the applications to read the IT policy rules. In some cases,another module or application can provide the parser. Grouped IT policyrules, described in more detail below, are retrieved as byte streams,which are then sent (recursively, in a sense) into the parser todetermine the values of each IT policy rule defined within the groupedIT policy rule. In at least some embodiments, the IT policy module 362can determine which applications are affected by the IT policy data andsends a notification to only those applications. In either of thesecases, for applications that are not running at the time of thenotification, the applications can call the parser or the IT policymodule 362 when they are executed to determine if there are any relevantIT policy rules in the newly received IT policy data.

All applications that support rules in the IT Policy are coded to knowthe type of data to expect. For example, the value that is set for the“WEP User Name” IT policy rule is known to be a string; therefore, thevalue in the IT policy data that corresponds to this rule is interpretedas a string. As another example, the setting for the “Set MaximumPassword Attempts” IT policy rule is known to be an integer, andtherefore the value in the IT policy data that corresponds to this ruleis interpreted as such.

After the IT policy rules have been applied to the applicableapplications or configuration files, the IT policy module 362 sends anacknowledgement back to the host system to indicate that the IT policydata was received and successfully applied.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a block diagram is shown illustratingcomponents of another exemplary configuration of a host system 250 thatthe mobile communication device 300 can communicate with in conjunctionwith the connect module 360. The host system 250 will typically be acorporate enterprise or other local area network (LAN), but may also bea home office computer or some other private system, for example. In theexample shown in FIG. 4, the host system 250 is depicted as a LAN of anorganization to which a user of the mobile communication device 300belongs. Typically, a plurality of mobile devices can communicatewirelessly with the host system 250 through one or more nodes 202 of thewireless network 200.

The host system 250 comprises a number of network components connectedto each other by a network 260. For instance, a user's desktop computer262 a with an accompanying cradle 264 for the user's mobilecommunication device 300 is situated on a LAN connection. The cradle 264for the mobile communication device 300 can be coupled to the computer262 a by a serial or a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connection, forexample. Other user computers 262 b-262 n are also situated on thenetwork 260, and each may or may not be equipped with an accompanyingcradle 264. The cradle 264 facilitates the loading of information (e.g.PIM data, private symmetric encryption keys to facilitate securecommunications, geographical restrictions) from the user computer 262 ato the mobile communication device 300, and may be particularly usefulfor bulk information updates often performed in initializing the mobilecommunication device 300 for use. The information downloaded to themobile communication device 300 may include certificates used in theexchange of messages.

It will be understood by persons skilled in the art that the usercomputers 262 a-262 n will typically also be connected to otherperipheral devices, such as printers and the like that are not shown inFIG. 4. Furthermore, only a subset of network components of the hostsystem 250 are shown in FIG. 4, and it will be understood by personsskilled in the art that the host system 250 will comprise additionalcomponents that are not explicitly shown in FIG. 4 for this exemplaryconfiguration. More generally, the host system 250 may represent asmaller part of a larger network of the organization, and may comprisedifferent components and/or be arranged in different topologies thanthat shown in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 4.

To facilitate the operation of the mobile communication device 300 andthe wireless communication of messages and message-related data betweenthe mobile communication device 300 and components of the host system250, a number of wireless communication support components 270 can beprovided. In some implementations, the wireless communication supportcomponents 270 can include a message management server 272, a mobiledata server 274, a contact server 276, and a device manager module 278.The device manager module 278 includes an IT Policy editor 280 and an ITuser property editor 282, as well as other software components forallowing an IT administrator to configure the mobile communicationdevice 300. In an alternative embodiment, there may be one editor thatprovides the functionality of both the IT policy editor 280 and the ITuser property editor 282. The support components 270 also include a datastore 284, and an IT policy server 286. The IT policy server 286includes a processor 288, a network interface 290 and a memory unit 292.A processor 288 controls the operation of the IT policy server 286 andexecutes functions related to the standardized IT policy as describedbelow. The network interface 290 allows the IT policy server 286 tocommunicate with the various components of the host system 250 and themobile devices 300. The memory unit 292 can store functions used inimplementing the IT policy as well as related data. Those skilled in theart are familiar with the implementation of these various components.Other components may also be included as is well known to those skilledin the art. Further, in some implementations, the data store 284 can bepart of any one of the servers.

In this exemplary embodiment, the mobile communication device 300communicates with the host system 250 through a node 202 of the wirelessnetwork 200 and a shared network infrastructure 224, such as a serviceprovider network or the public Internet. Access to the host system 250may be provided through one or more routers (not shown), and computingdevices of the host system 250 may operate from behind a firewall orproxy server 266. The proxy server 266 provides a secure node and awireless internet gateway for the host system 250. The proxy server 266intelligently routes data to the correct destination server within thehost system 250.

In some implementations, the host system 250 can include a wireless VPN(Virtual Private Network) router (not shown) to facilitate data exchangebetween the host system 250 and the mobile communication device 300. Thewireless VPN router allows a VPN connection to be established directlythrough a specific wireless network to the mobile communication device300. The wireless VPN router can be used with the Internet Protocol (IP)Version 6 (IPV6) and IP-based wireless networks. This protocol canprovide enough IP addresses so that each mobile device has a dedicatedIP address, making it possible to push information to a mobile device atany time. An advantage of using a wireless VPN router is that it can bean off-the-shelf VPN component, and does not require a separate wirelessgateway and separate wireless infrastructure. A VPN connection canpreferably be a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)/IP or User DatagramProtocol (UDP)/IP connection for delivering the messages directly to themobile communication device 300 in this alternative implementation.

Messages intended for a user of the mobile communication device 300 areinitially received by a message server 268 of the host system 250. Suchmessages may originate from any number of sources. For instance, amessage may have been sent by a sender from the computer 262 b withinthe host system 250, or from a different mobile device (not shown)connected to the wireless network 200 or a different wireless network.Additionally the message may have been sent from a different computingdevice, or other device capable of sending messages, via the sharednetwork infrastructure 224, possibly through an application serviceprovider (ASP) or Internet service provider (ISP).

The message server 268 typically acts as the primary interface for theexchange of messages, particularly e-mail messages, within theorganization and over the shared network infrastructure 224. Each userin the organization that has been set up to send and receive messages istypically associated with a user account managed by the message server268. In some implementations, the host system 250 may comprise multiplemessage servers 268. The message server 268 may also be adapted toprovide additional functions beyond message management, including themanagement of data associated with calendars and task lists, forexample.

When messages are received by the message server 268, they are typicallystored in a data store associated with the message server 268. In atleast some embodiments, the data store may be a separate hardware unit,such as data store 284, with which the message server 268 communicates.Messages can be subsequently retrieved and delivered to users byaccessing the message server 268. For instance, an e-mail clientapplication operating on a user's computer 262 a may request the e-mailmessages associated with that user's account stored on the data storeassociated with the message server 268. These messages are thenretrieved from the data store and stored locally on the computer 262 a.The data store associated with the message server 268 can store copiesof each message that is locally stored on the mobile communicationdevice 300. Alternatively, the data store associated with the messageserver 268 can store all of the messages for the user of the mobilecommunication device 300 and only a smaller number of messages can bestored on the mobile communication device 300 to conserve device memory324. For instance, the most recent messages (i.e. those received in thepast two to three months for example) can be stored on the mobilecommunication device 300.

When operating the mobile communication device 300, the user may wish tohave e-mail messages retrieved for delivery to the mobile communicationdevice 300. The message application operating on the mobilecommunication device 300 may also request messages associated with theuser's account from the message server 268. The message application maybe configured (either by the user or by an administrator, possibly inaccordance with an organization's IT policy) to make this request at thedirection of the user, at some pre-defined time interval, or upon theoccurrence of some pre-defined event. In some implementations, themobile communication device 300 is assigned its own e-mail address, andmessages addressed specifically to the mobile communication device 300are automatically redirected to the mobile communication device 300 asthey are received by the message server 268.

The message management server 272 can be used to specifically providesupport for the management of messages, such as e-mail messages, thatare to be handled by mobile devices. Generally, while messages are stillstored on the message server 268, the message management server 272 canbe used to control when, if, and how messages are sent to the mobilecommunication device 300. The message management server 272 alsofacilitates the handling of messages composed on the mobilecommunication device 300, which are sent to the message server 268 forsubsequent delivery.

For example, the message management server 272 may monitor the user's“mailbox” (e.g. the message store associated with the user's account onthe message server 268) for new e-mail messages, and applyuser-definable filters to new messages to determine if and how themessages are relayed to the user's mobile communication device 300. Themessage management server 272 may also compress and encrypt new messages(e.g. using an encryption technique such as Data Encryption Standard(DES), Triple DES, or Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)) and push themto the mobile communication device 300 via the shared networkinfrastructure 224 and the wireless network 200. The message managementserver 272 may also receive messages composed on the mobilecommunication device 300 (e.g. encrypted using Triple DES), decrypt anddecompress the composed messages, re-format the composed messages ifdesired so that they will appear to have originated from the user'scomputer 262 a, and re-route the composed messages to the message server268 for delivery.

Certain properties or restrictions associated with messages that are tobe sent from and/or received by the mobile communication device 300 canbe defined (e.g. by an administrator in accordance with IT policy) andenforced by the message management server 272. Examples may includewhether the mobile communication device 300 may receive encrypted and/orsigned messages, minimum encryption key sizes, whether outgoing messagesmust be encrypted and/or signed, and whether copies of all securemessages sent from the mobile communication device 300 are to be sent toa pre-defined copy address. Additionally, restrictions can be placed onmessages sent from the mobile communication device 300 limiting theability to send pictures over the network 200.

The message management server 272 may also be adapted to provide othercontrol functions, such as only pushing certain message information orpre-defined portions (e.g. “blocks”) of a message stored on the messageserver 268 to the mobile communication device 300. For example, in somecases, when a message is initially retrieved by the mobile communicationdevice 300 from the message server 268, the message management server272 may push only the first part of a message to the mobilecommunication device 300, with the part being of a pre-defined size(e.g. 2 KB). The user can then request that more of the message bedelivered in similar-sized blocks by the message management server 272to the mobile communication device 300, possibly up to a maximumpre-defined message size. Accordingly, the message management server 272facilitates better control over the type of data and the amount of datathat is communicated to the mobile communication device 300, and canhelp to minimize potential waste of bandwidth or other resources.

The mobile data server 274 encompasses any other server that storesinformation that is relevant to the corporation. The mobile data server274 may include, but is not limited to, databases, online data documentrepositories, customer relationship management (CRM) systems, orenterprise resource planning (ERP) applications.

The contact server 276 can provide information for a list of contactsfor the user in a similar fashion as the address book on the mobilecommunication device 300. Accordingly, for a given contact, the contactserver 276 can include the name, phone number, work address and e-mailaddress of the contact, among other information. The contact server 276can also provide a global address list that contains the contactinformation for all of the contacts associated with the host system 250.

It will be understood by persons skilled in the art that the messagemanagement server 272, the mobile data server 274, the contact server276, the device manager module 278, the data store 284 and the IT policyserver 286 do not need to be implemented on separate physical serverswithin the host system 250. For example, some or all of the functionsassociated with the message management server 272 may be integrated withthe message server 268, or some other server in the host system 250.Alternatively, the host system 250 may comprise multiple messagemanagement servers 272, particularly in variant implementations where alarge number of mobile devices need to be supported.

Alternatively, in some embodiments, the IT policy editor 280, the ITuser property editor 282 and the data store 284 can be the IT policyserver 286. In some cases, the device manager module 278 can also beimplemented on the IT policy server 286. The processor 288 of the ITpolicy server 286 can be used to perform the various steps of a methodfor providing IT policy data that is customizable on a per-user basis.The processor 288 can execute the IT Policy Editor 280 and IT UserProperty Editor 282. In some cases, the functionality of the editors280, 282 can be provided by a single editor. In some cases, the memoryunit 292 can provide the data store 284.

The device manager module 278 provides an IT administrator with agraphical user interface with which the IT administrator interacts toconfigure various settings for the mobile communication device 300. Asmentioned, the IT administrator can use IT policy rules to definebehaviors of certain applications on the mobile communication device 300that are permitted such as phone, web browser or Instant Messenger use.The IT policy rules can also be used to set specific values forconfiguration settings that an organization requires on the mobilecommunication device 300 such as auto signature text, WLAN/VoIP/VPNconfiguration, security requirements (e.g. encryption algorithms,password rules, etc.), specifying themes or applications that areallowed to run on the mobile communication device 300, and the like.

Definitions of known supported IT policy rules can be distributed by wayof bundling them with the messaging service software, or as a standaloneupdate that can be applied to an IT policy table. Alternatively, and inaddition to the distribution of proprietary rules, IT administrators caninvoke the IT policy editor 280 to add or modify existing custom ITpolicy rules to be used by their own or third-party applications.

The above described IT policy system can effectively be used oncommunication devices 300, where the administrator wishes to prohibitcertain features of the device such as camera functionality, BLUETOOTH®communications, Wi-Fi communications, and other functionalitylimitations including those described above, as desired. Thus the systemis capable of remotely implementing an administrative policy on thewireless handheld communication devices within the system. For example,the administrator can set rules using the IT policy editor 280 to imposerestrictions on the operation of a camera if the device is within arestricted operating area. These restrictions are transmitted to thedevice 300 using the above described procedure or one that is similar.Once the communication is received by the IT policy module 362, therestrictions can be passed to the appropriate programs controlling thecamera. By limiting these functionalities it is possible to provide asecure operating environment for the company and its IT infrastructure.The above described infrastructure for communicating the IT policy tothe device is provided as an example and other systems for communicatingsuch an IT policy are considered within the scope of this disclosure.Further details concerning the handheld communication device 300 alongwith another IT infrastructure is described below.

Referring to FIG. 20, an exemplary flow chart of a method for imposingrestrictions on the camera of the handheld communication device 300 isshown. These restrictions can be implemented remotely through anadministrative policy using the above describe IT policy system.Geographical boundaries are transmitted to, and received at the device300 (block 605). This data defining geographical boundaries are thenstored on the device 300 (block 607). Data defining the restrictions tobe imposed are preferably transmitted to the device 300 and received bythe device 300 (block 609). In a preferred embodiment, the receipt ofgeographical boundaries and restrictions occurs at the same time basedupon the transmission of the IT policy from the IT policy server (notshown). These restrictions are stored for later use (block 611).

The present geographical position/location of the device 300 isascertained using satellite-derived information (block 613). Then adetermination is made whether the device 300 is located within thestored geographical boundaries (block 615). If it has been determinedthat the device 300 is within one of the stored geographical boundaries,then the appropriate subsystem or functional aspect restrictions areimposed (block 617). However, if the device 300 is not within the storedgeographical boundary the present location of the device 300 ismonitored. Likewise once the restriction has been imposed on the device300, the position of the device is evaluated to determine when thedevice has left the restricted area. The restrictions can be one of theabove described restrictions. Furthermore, while the storage of therestrictions has been described above, in other embodiments therestriction is a default restriction and only the determination of thelocation of the device 300 is required. The geographical as well asrestrictions can be predetermined (prerecorded) or transmitted to thedevice 300 using one of the systems described herein. The subsystems orfunctional aspect as restricted is one of a camera module, a Wi-FImodule, a ringer, a removable storage device, a speaker phone, awireless communication subsystem, and e-mail.

When designing a handheld communication device 300, other considerationsare important as well. A potential problem is presented by the smallsize of the device 300 in that there is limited exterior surface areafor the inclusion of user input and device output features. This isespecially true for the “prime real estate” of the front face of thedevice, where it is most advantageous to include a display screen 322that outputs information to the user. The display screen 322 ispreferably located above a keyboard 332, which is utilized for dataentry into the device 300 by the user. If the screen 322 is providedbelow the keyboard 332, a problem occurs in being able to see the screen322 while inputting data. Therefore it is preferred that the displayscreen 322 be above the input area, thereby solving the problem byassuring that the hands and fingers do not block the view of the screen322 during data entry periods.

To facilitate textual data entry, an alphabetic keyboard is provided. Inone version, a full alphabetic keyboard is utilized in which there isone key per letter. This is preferred by some users because it can bearranged to resemble a standard keyboard with which they are mostfamiliar. In this regard, the associated letters can be advantageouslyorganized in QWERTY, QWERTZ, AZERTY or Dvorak layouts, among others,thereby capitalizing on certain users' familiarity with these specialletter orders. In order to stay within the bounds of a limited frontsurface area, however, each of the keys must be commensurately smallwhen, for example, twenty-six keys must be provided in the instance ofthe English language. An alternative configuration is to provide areduced keyboard in which at least some of the keys have more than oneletter associated therewith. This means that fewer keys can be includedwhich makes it possible for those fewer keys to each be larger than inthe instance when a full keyboard is provided on a similarly dimensioneddevice 300. Some users will prefer the solution of the larger keys overthe smaller ones, but it is necessary that software or hardwaresolutions be provided in order to discriminate which of the severalassociated letters the user intends based on a particular key actuation;a problem the full keyboard avoids. Preferably, this characterdiscrimination is accomplished utilizing disambiguation softwareaccommodated within the device 300. As with the other software programsembodied within the device 300, a memory and microprocessor are providedwithin the body of the handheld unit 300 for receiving, storing,processing, and outputting data during use. Therefore, the problem ofneeding a textual data input means is solved by the provision of eithera full or reduced alphabetic keyboard on the presently disclosedhandheld electronic device 300.

Keys, typically of a push-button or push-pad nature, perform well asdata entry devices but present problems to the user when they must alsobe used to affect navigational control over a screen-cursor. In order tosolve this problem the present handheld electronic device 300 preferablyincludes an auxiliary input 328 that acts as a cursor navigational tooland which is also exteriorly located upon the front face of the device300, as shown in FIG. 1 a. Its front face location is particularlyadvantageous because it makes the tool easily thumb-actuable like thekeys of the keyboard 332. A particularly usable embodiment, thenavigational tool is a trackball 150 which is easily utilized toinstruct two-dimensional screen cursor movement in substantially anydirection, as well as act as an actuator when the ball of the trackball150 is depressible like a button. The placement of the trackball 150 ispreferably above the keyboard 332 and below the display screen 322;here, it avoids interference during keyboarding and does not block theuser's view of the display screen 322 during use.

Preferably, a row 9 of function keys is provided between the display 322and the keyboard 332. This row 9 of function keys preferably is alignedtogether with the navigation input device 328, which is preferably atrackball 150. The alignment of these keys allows the user an intuitivelocation for functions associated with navigation on the display screen322 of the device 300. Some of the typical functions that might beprovided are described below, but these function keys can be assigneddifferent functions by a manufacturer. Additionally, while the keys arepreferably assigned fixed functions, in some embodiments the functionsmay be user programmable. The call key 6 located on the left end of therow 9 is used to place or answer voice calls. Next, the menu key 5 isused to allow a user to pull up or display a menu on the screen of thedevice. This menu can be a full menu if a menu is already presented onthe screen or a short menu with selections shown for the mostly likelychoices of the user. Then, the trackball 150 is provided for navigationon the screen 322 of device 300. The trackball 150 is rotatable,allowing navigation of a cursor on the display screen 322 in variousdirections including up, down, left, right, and any combination thereof.Furthermore, the ball is depressible. When the ball is depressed, aselection is made based upon the current location of the cursor. Thus ifthe cursor is located over a given program icon, that program will belaunched. Likewise, if the menu is shown and the cursor is over aparticular item on the menu and the ball is depressed selection of thatmenu item will be made. Next, a back key 7 is provided, and this key 7is capable of navigating to a previously displayed menu, selection, ordevice state. Thus, if the e-mail program is open and a message isdisplayed, pressing the back key 7 will cause the display to return tothe general e-mail program listing all messages. If the back key 7 isfurther depressed, then display returns to a home screen or theinterface from which the user selected the e-mail program. This back key7 can be used until the user interface shown on the display screen 322returns to a default state. Users can relate this to the functionalitytypically associated with an escape key as well, such that the currentselection is cancelled and the previous state is returned. By locatingthe back key 7 next to the trackball 150, the user can make selectionsand cancel selections using a proximately located set of keys. On theright end of the row 9, a disconnect key 8 is provided enabling the userto terminate calls or otherwise disconnect from a voice communication.Additional function keys can be provided on the edges of the device suchas buttons 130, 131, 132, 133, and 401 shown in FIG. 3. These functionkeys can be used to provide buttons to control volume, specific programselection, camera module activation, scrolling, or other functionalityas desired by the manufacturer or user of the device 300.

In some configurations, the handheld electronic device 300 may bestandalone in that it is not connectable to the “outside world.” Oneexample would be a PDA that stores such things as calendars and contactinformation, but is not capable of synchronizing or communicating withother devices. In most situations such isolation will be detrimentallyviewed in that at least synchronization is a highly desiredcharacteristic of handheld devices 300 today. Moreover, the utility ofthe device 300 is significantly enhanced when connectable within asystem, and particularly when connectable on a wireless basis in asystem in which both voice and text messaging are accommodated.

Further aspects of the environments, devices and methods of employmentdescribed hereinabove are expanded upon in the following details. Anexemplary embodiment of the handheld electronic device 300 as shown inFIG. 1 a can be cradled in the palm of a user's hand. The size of thedevice 300 is such that a user is capable of operating the device 300using the same hand that is holding the device 300. In a preferredembodiment, the user is capable of actuating all features of the device300 using the thumb of the cradling hand. While in other embodiments,features may require the use of more than just the thumb of the cradlinghand. The preferred embodiment of the handheld device 300 features akeyboard 332 on the face of the device 300, which is actuable by thethumb of the hand cradling the device 300. The user may also hold thedevice 300 in such a manner to enable two thumb typing on the device300. Furthermore, the user may use fingers rather than thumbs to actuatethe keys on the device 300. In order to accommodate palm-cradling of thedevice 300 by the average person, it is longer (height as shown in FIG.1 a) than it is wide, and the width is preferably between approximatelytwo and three inches, but by no means limited to such dimensions.

The handheld electronic device 300 includes an input portion and anoutput display portion. The output display portion can be a displayscreen 322, such as an LCD or other similar display device.

The input portion includes a plurality of keys that can be of a physicalnature such as actuable buttons or they can be of a software nature,typically constituted by virtual representations of physical keys on adisplay screen (referred to herein as “software keys”). It is alsocontemplated that the user input can be provided as a combination of thetwo types of keys. Each key of the plurality of keys has at least oneactuable action which can be the input of a character, a command or afunction. In this context, “characters” are contemplated to exemplarilyinclude alphabetic letters, language symbols, numbers, punctuation,insignias, icons, pictures, and even a blank space. Input commands andfunctions can include such things as delete, backspace, moving a cursorup, down, left or right, initiating an arithmetic function or command,initiating a command or function specific to an application program orfeature in use, initiating a command or function programmed by the userand other such commands and functions that are well known to thosepersons skilled in the art. Specific keys or other types of inputdevices can be used to navigate through the various applications andfeatures thereof. Further, depending on the application or feature inuse, specific keys can be enabled or disabled.

In the case of physical keys, all or a portion of the plurality of keyshave one or more indicia displayed at their top surface and/or on thesurface of the area adjacent the respective key, the particular indiciarepresenting the character(s), command(s) and/or function(s) typicallyassociated with that key. In the instance where the indicia of a key'sfunction is provided adjacent the key, it is understood that this may bea permanent insignia that is, for instance, printed on the device coverbeside the key, or in the instance of keys located adjacent the displayscreen 322, a current indicia for the key may be temporarily shownnearby the key on the screen 322.

In the case of software keys, the indicia for the respective keys areshown on the display screen, which in one embodiment is enabled bytouching the display screen, for example, with a stylus to generate thecharacter or activate the indicated command or function. Such displayscreens may include one or more touch interfaces, including atouchscreen. A non-exhaustive list of touchscreens includes, forexample, resistive touchscreens, capacitive touchscreens, projectedcapacitive touchscreens, infrared touchscreens and surface acoustic wave(SAW) touchscreens.

Physical and software keys can be combined in many different ways asappreciated by those skilled in the art. In one embodiment, physical andsoftware keys are combined such that the plurality of enabled keys for aparticular application or feature of the handheld electronic device 300is shown on the display screen 322 in the same configuration as thephysical keys. Thus, the desired character, command or function isobtained by depressing the physical key corresponding to the character,command or function displayed at a corresponding position on the displayscreen 322, rather than touching the display screen 322. To aid theuser, indicia for the characters, commands and/or functions mostfrequently used are preferably positioned on the physical keys and/or onthe area around or between the physical keys. In this manner, the usercan more readily associate the correct physical key with the character,command or function displayed on the display screen 322.

The various characters, commands and functions associated with keyboardtyping in general are traditionally arranged using various conventions.The most common of these in the United States, for instance, is theQWERTY keyboard layout. Others include the QWERTZ, AZERTY, and Dvorakkeyboard configurations of the English-language alphabet.

The QWERTY keyboard layout is the standard English-language alphabetickey arrangement 44 (see FIG. 5). In this configuration, Q, W, E, R, Tand Y are the letters on the top left, alphabetic row. It was designedby Christopher Sholes, who invented the typewriter. The keyboard layoutwas organized by him to prevent people from typing too fast and jammingthe keys. The QWERTY layout was included in the drawing for Sholes'patent application in 1878.

The QWERTZ keyboard layout is normally used in German-speaking regions.This alphabetic key arrangement 44 is shown in FIG. 6. In thisconfiguration, Q, W, E, R, T and Z are the letters on the top left,alphabetic row. It differs from the QWERTY keyboard layout by exchangingthe “Y” with a “Z”. This is because “Z” is a much more common letterthan “Y” in German and the letters “T” and “Z” often appear next to eachother in the German language.

The AZERTY keyboard layout is normally used in French-speaking regions.This alphabetic key arrangement 44 is shown in FIG. 7. In thisconfiguration, A, Z, E, R, T and Y are the letters on the top left,alphabetic row. It is similar to the QWERTY layout, except that theletters Q and A are swapped, the letters Z and W are swapped, and theletter M is in the middle row instead of the bottom one.

The Dvorak keyboard layout was designed in the 1930s by August Dvorakand William Dealey. This alphabetic key arrangement 44 is shown in FIG.8. It was developed to allow a typist to type faster. About 70% of wordsare typed on the home row compared to about 32% with a QWERTY keyboardlayout, and more words are typed using both hands. It is said that ineight hours, fingers of a QWERTY typist travel about 16 miles, but onlyabout 1 mile for the Dvorak typist.

Alphabetic key arrangements in full keyboards and typewriters are oftenpresented along with numeric key arrangements. An exemplary numeric keyarrangement is shown in FIGS. 5-8 where the numbers 1-9 and 0 arepositioned above the alphabetic keys. In another known numeric keyarrangement, numbers share keys with the alphabetic characters, such asthe top row of the QWERTY keyboard. Yet another exemplary numeric keyarrangement is shown in FIG. 9, where a numeric keypad 46 is spaced fromthe alphabetic/numeric key arrangement. The numeric keypad 46 includesthe numbers “7”, “8”, “9” arranged in a top row, “4”, “5”, “6” arrangedin a second row, “1”, “2”, “3” arranged in a third row, and “0” in abottom row, consistent with what may be found on a known “ten-key”computer keyboard keypad. Additionally, a numeric phone key arrangement42 is also known, as shown in FIG. 10.

As shown in FIG. 10, the numeric phone key arrangement 42 may alsoutilize a surface treatment on the surface of the center “5” key. Thissurface treatment is such that the surface of the key is distinctivefrom the surface of other keys. Preferably the surface treatment is inthe form of a raised bump or recessed dimple 43. This bump or dimple 43is typically standard on telephones and is used to identify the “5” keythrough touch alone. Once the user has identified the “5” key, it ispossible to identify the remainder of the phone keys through touch alonebecause of their standard placement. The bump or dimple 43 preferablyhas a shape and size that is readily evident to a user through touch. Anexample bump or dimple 43 may be round, rectangular, or have anothershape if desired. Alternatively, raised bumps may be positioned on thehousing around the “5” key and do not necessarily have to be positioneddirectly on the key, as known by those of skill in the art.

It is desirable for handheld electronic devices 300 to include acombined text-entry keyboard and a telephony keyboard. Examples of suchmobile communication devices include mobile stations, cellulartelephones, wireless personal digital assistants (PDAs), two-way pagingdevices, and others. Various keyboards are used with such devicesdepending in part on the physical size of the handheld electronic device300. Some of these are termed full keyboard, reduced keyboard, and phonekey pads.

In embodiments of a handheld electronic device 300 having a fullkeyboard, only one alphabetic character is associated with each one of aplurality of physical keys. Thus, with an English-language keyboard,there are at least 26 keys in the plurality, one for each letter of theEnglish alphabet. In such embodiments using the English-languagealphabet, one of the keyboard layouts described above is usuallyemployed, and with the QWERTY keyboard layout being the most common.

One device that uses a full keyboard for alphabetic characters andincorporates a combined numeric keyboard is shown in FIG. 12. In thisdevice, numeric characters share keys with alphabetic characters on thetop row of the QWERTY keyboard. Another device that incorporates acombined alphabetic/numeric keyboard is shown in FIG. 13. This deviceutilizes numeric characters in a numeric phone key arrangementconsistent with the ITU Standard E.161, as shown in FIG. 10. The numericcharacters share keys with alphabetic characters on the left side of thekeyboard.

In order to further reduce the size of a handheld electronic device 300without making the physical keys or software keys too small, somehandheld electronic devices 300 use a reduced keyboard, where more thanone character/command/function is associated with each of at least aportion of the plurality of keys. This results in certain keys beingambiguous since more than one character is represented by or associatedwith the key, even though only one of those characters is typicallyintended by the user when activating the key.

Thus, certain software usually runs on the processor of these types ofhandheld electronic devices 300 to determine or predict what letter orword has been intended by the user. Predictive text technologies canalso automatically correct common spelling errors. Predictive textmethodologies often include a disambiguation engine and/or a predictiveeditor application. This helps facilitate easy spelling and composition,since the software is preferably intuitive software with a large wordlist and the ability to increase that list based on the frequency ofword usage.

The software preferably also has the ability to recognize characterletter sequences that are common to the particular language, such as, inthe case of English, words ending in “ing.” Such systems can also“learn” the typing style of the user making note of frequently usedwords to increase the predictive aspect of the software. With predictiveeditor applications, the display of the device depicts possiblecharacter sequences corresponding to the keystrokes that were entered.Typically, the most commonly used word is displayed first. The user mayselect other, less common words manually, or otherwise. Other types ofpredictive text computer programs may be utilized with the keyboardarrangement and keyboard described herein, without limitation.

The multi-tap method of character selection has been in use a number ofyears for permitting users to enter text using a touch screen device ora conventional telephone key pad such as specified under ITU E 1.161,among other devices. Multi-tap requires a user to press a key a varyingnumber of times, generally within a limited period of time, to input aspecific letter, thereby spelling the desired words of the message. Arelated method is the long tap method, where a user depresses the keyuntil the desired character appears on the display out of a rotatingseries of letters.

A “text on nine keys” type system uses predictive letter patterns toallow a user to ideally press each key representing a letter only onceto enter text. Unlike multi-tap which requires a user to indicate adesired character by a precise number of presses of a key, orkeystrokes, the “text-on-nine-keys” system uses a predictive textdictionary and established letter patterns for a language tointelligently guess which one of many characters represented by a keythat the user intended to enter. The predictive text dictionary isprimarily a list of words, acronyms, abbreviations and the like that canbe used in the composition of text.

Generally, all possible character string permutations represented by anumber of keystrokes entered by a user are compared to the words in thepredictive text dictionary and a subset of the permutations is shown tothe user to allow selection of the intended character string. Thepermutations are generally sorted by likelihood of occurrence which isdetermined from the number of words matched in the predictive textdictionary and various metrics maintained for these words. Where thepossible character string permutations do not match any words in thepredictive text dictionary, the set of established letter patterns for aselected language can be applied to suggest the most likely characterstring permutations, and then require the user to input a number ofadditional keystrokes in order to enter the desired word.

The keys of reduced keyboards are laid out with various arrangements ofcharacters, commands and functions associated therewith. In regards toalphabetic characters, the different keyboard layouts identified aboveare selectively used based on a user's preference and familiarity; forexample, the QWERTY keyboard layout is most often used by Englishspeakers who have become accustomed to the key arrangement.

FIG. 14 shows a handheld electronic device 300 that carries an exampleof a reduced keyboard using the QWERTY keyboard layout on a physicalkeyboard array of twenty keys comprising five columns and four rows.Fourteen keys are used for alphabetic characters and ten keys are usedfor numbers. Nine of the ten numbers share a key with alphabeticcharacters. The “space” key and the number “0” share the same key, whichis centered on the device and centered below the remainder of thenumbers on the keyboard 332. The four rows include a first row 50, asecond row 52, a third row 54, and a fourth row 56. The five columnsinclude a first column 60, a second column 62, a third column 64, afourth column 66, and a fifth column 68. Each of the keys in the firstrow 50, second row 52, and third row 54 is uniformly sized while thekeys in the fourth, bottom row 56 have different sizes relative to oneanother and to the keys in the first three rows 50, 52, 54. The rows andcolumns are straight, although the keys in the fourth row 56 do notalign completely with the columns because of their differing sizes. Thecolumns substantially align with the longitudinal axis x-x of the device300.

FIG. 15 shows a handheld electronic device 300 that has an examplephysical keyboard array of twenty keys, with five columns and four rows.A detailed view of the keyboard 332 is presented in FIG. 16. Fourteenkeys on the keyboard 332 are associated with alphabetic characters andten keys are associated with numbers. The four rows include a first row50, a second row 52, a third row 54, and a fourth row 56. The fivecolumns include a first column 60, a second column 62, a third column64, a fourth column 66, and a fifth column 68. Many of the keys havedifferent sizes than the other keys, and the rows are non-linear. Inparticular, the rows are V-shaped, with the middle key in the thirdcolumn 64 representing the point of the V. The columns are generallystraight, but the outer two columns 60, 62, 66, 68 angle inwardly towardthe middle column 64. To readily identify the phone user interface (thesecond user interface), the numeric phone keys 0-9 include a colorscheme that is different from that of the remaining keys associated withthe QWERTY key arrangement.

In this example, the color scheme of the numeric phone keys has a twotone appearance, with the upper portion of the numeric keys being afirst color and the lower portion of the numeric keys being a secondcolor. In the example, the upper portion of the keys is white with blueletters and the lower portion of the keys is blue with white letters.Most of the remaining keys associated with the QWERTY key arrangementare predominantly the second, blue color with white lettering. The firstcolor may be lighter than the second color, or darker than the secondcolor. In addition, the keyboard 332 includes a “send” key 6 and an“end” key 8. The “send” key 6 is positioned in the upper left corner ofthe keyboard 332 and the “end” key 8 is positioned in the upper rightcorner. The “send” key 6 and “end” key 8 may have different colorschemes than the remainder of the keys in order to distinguish them fromother keys. In addition, the “send” and “end” keys 6, 8 may havedifferent colors from one another. In the example shown, the “send” key6 is green and the “end” key 8 is red. Different colors may be utilized,if desired.

FIG. 17 shows a similar format for the reduced QWERTY arrangement ofalphabetic characters 44 as presented in FIG. 14, but the numeric phonekey arrangement 42 is positioned in the first 60, second 62, and third64 columns instead of being centered on the keyboard 332. The first row50 of keys includes in order the following key combinations for the textentry and telephony mode: “QW/1”, “ER/2”, “TY/3”, “UI”, and “OP”. Thesecond row 52 includes the following key combinations in order: “AS/4”,“DF/5”, “GH/6”, “JK/,”, and “L/.”. The third row 54 includes thefollowing key combinations in order: “ZX/7”, “CV/8”, “BN/9”, “M/sym” and“backspace/delete”. The fourth row 56 includes the following keycombinations in order: “next/*”, “space/0”, “shift/#”, “alt” and“return/enter”. The keys in each of the rows are of uniform size and therows and columns are straight.

Another embodiment of a reduced alphabetic keyboard is found on astandard phone keypad. Most handheld electronic devices 300 having aphone key pad also typically include alphabetic key arrangementsoverlaying or coinciding with the numeric keys as shown in FIG. 11. Suchalphanumeric phone keypads are used in many, if not most, traditionalhandheld telephony mobile communication devices such as cellularhandsets.

As described above, the International Telecommunications Union (“ITU”)has established phone standards for the arrangement of alphanumerickeys. The standard phone numeric key arrangement shown in FIGS. 10 (noalphabetic letters) and 11 (with alphabetic letters) corresponds to ITUStandard E.161, entitled “Arrangement of Digits, Letters, and Symbols onTelephones and Other Devices That Can Be Used for Gaining Access to aTelephone Network.” This standard is also known as ANSI TI.703-1995/1999 and ISO/IEC 9995-8:1994. Regarding the numericarrangement, it can be aptly described as a top-to-bottom ascendingorder three-by-three-over-zero pattern.

The table below identifies the alphabetic characters associated witheach number for some other phone keypad conventions.

Mobile Phone Keypad Number #11 #111 on Key ITU E.161 Australia #1(Europe) (Europe) 1 QZ ABC ABC 2 ABC ABC ABC DEF DEF 3 DEF DEF DEF GHIGHI 4 GHI GHI GHI JKL JKL 5 JKL JKL JKL MNO MNO 6 MNO MNO MN PQR PQR 7PQRS PRS PRS STU STU 8 TUV TUV TUV

VWX 9 WXYZ WXY WXY XYZ YZ 0 OQZ

It should also be appreciated that other alphabetic character and numbercombinations can be used beyond those identified above when deemeduseful to a particular application.

As noted earlier, multi-tap software has been in use for a number ofyears permitting users to enter text using a conventional telephone keypad such as specified under ITU E 1.161 or on a touch screen display,among other devices. Multi-tap requires a user to press a key a varyingnumber of times, generally within a limited period of time, to input aspecific letter associated with the particular key, thereby spelling thedesired words of the message. A related method is the long tap method,where a user depresses the key until the desired character appears onthe display.

As shown in FIG. 1 b, a camera 550 mounted on the exterior surface ofthe handheld electronic device 300 provides an additional means forinput to the device 300. The camera 550 can be controlled by theadministrative security policy. The camera and the device areintegrated, with the lens preferably located on the rear side of thedevice. Situated next to the lens is a flash 560 capable of producing alight source at distances of at least one meter. The lens is protectedfrom scratches by a protective covering. Additionally, the lens,protective covering, and image sensor are strong enough to resistmechanical forces associated with normal use of a portable electronicdevice. Examples of such forces include squeezing the device in the handor dropping the device. Also, situated next to the camera 550 is areflective surface 565 which enables a user to appropriately aim thecamera 550 for image acquisition. The camera 550, reflective surface565, and the flash 560 are part of the camera assembly 570. This cameraassembly 570 is further connected to the camera module 335.

The camera 550 is capable of taking still images or video images, andpreferably recording the accompanying audio. The display 322 can showimages up to ten frames per second while the camera application isrunning. The focus range of the camera 550 is preferably from 10 cm (ornearer) to infinity. The camera 550 also contains a digital zoomfunction to magnify the image up to five times.

The handheld electronic device 300 contains a dedicated hard key 401(shown in FIG. 3) for initiating the taking of pictures, but the hardkey can also be programmed for additional uses. By pressing thededicated hard key or selecting a corresponding on-screen menu option,the camera will be enabled and the camera application will be launched.An additional depression of the dedicated hard key results in imageacquisition (taking a picture).

After the picture is taken, the image is displayed on the device'sdisplay screen 322. The display 322 shows the picture along with a setof options from which the user may select. Options can include, but arenot limited to: discarding/deleting the picture, saving the picture tothe device memory, saving the picture to removable memory, setting thepicture as the display background, associating the picture with a callerID contact, or sending the picture wirelessly. Examples of wirelesstransmission methods include MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service), E-mail,or Messenger Service. If the user decides to save the picture, thepicture can be stored into either fixed or removable memory. In a device300 enabled to send e-mail messages, one of the above described optionsincludes directly attaching the image to an e-mail message once thepicture has been taken and displayed on the screen 322. This enables auser of the device to bypass the steps of saving the image and thenlater attaching the image.

While the camera application is running, the device 300 is capable ofperforming other non-camera functions, such as receiving e-mail messagesand phone calls. After a predetermined amount of inactivity while in thecamera application, the camera and display 322 will enter a sleep modewhere the memory stores the current program location, but the powerbeing supplied to the display 322 and camera is no longer provided.

In addition to facilitating picture taking, the camera applicationallows users to determine certain settings for the camera and thepictures to be taken. One option enables the display screen 322 to zoomin and out of the picture displayed on it. Another option permits thepicture to be adapted to different image resolution sizes. Typicalresolution sizes in pixels are: 160×120, 320×240, 640×480, 1024×768, 1M,1.3M, or 2M. One such image resolution size is preferably set as thedefault image resolution size. Additionally, image quality adjustmentscan be used to adjust the image acquisition by the camera. Some examplesof image qualities include normal, fine, and superfine, with one beingpreferably set as the default setting. Furthermore, timers and flashsettings can be implemented in the image acquisition routine. The flashpreferably is set to automatic, but can be adjusted to on or off modesof operation. Also, the camera module 335 and corresponding software canadjust the white balance. The adjustment of white balance can either bedirectly or through a series of preset options including automatic,sunny, cloudy, indoor, night, tungsten, and fluorescent. Preferably, thedefault for the white balance control is the preset option forautomatic.

The user interface in at least one embodiment generates shutter soundsthat are emitted by the device 300 when a picture is taken, purely as afamiliar indicator to the user that an image has been acquired.Likewise, an option for the user to access stored pictures is providedthrough the user interface along with an option to add a date and/or atime stamp to a picture when it is taken. This information can furtherbe controlled by an administrator with rights to control the IT securitysettings for the device.

Pictures taken by the camera will be preferably stored in the flashmemory 324 of the handheld electronic device 300. The amount of memoryused by the handheld electronic device 300 to store pictures should beat least 10 MB, with the actual amount set by the user. When the user issetting the amount of memory storage, the display should showapproximately how many pictures the user can store at that setting basedon the current resolution setting. When the storage limit is reached,the user is warned that the memory storage is full. However, if thehandheld electronic device 300 is equipped with a removable storagedevice, the user can elect to store the pictures onto the removablestorage instead of the flash memory 324.

In at least one embodiment, the images are saved in JPEG format with thefollowing EXIF metadata information support: manufacturer/make, model,firmware version, orientation, x & y resolution, resolution unit, date &time, YCbCr positioning, component configuration, date/time original,EXIF color space, pixel X & Y dimension. Additionally, the metadatainformation can contain location information indicating the geographicallocation that the picture was taken. Furthermore, identificationinformation can also be associated with the picture relating to thedevice or user can be stored in the metadata.

To facilitate management of stored pictures, a picture application canbe provided as part of the device's software. The picture applicationcan be run directly by the user or can be run automatically for apredetermined time after a picture is taken. The picture applicationgives users a number of options to manage their pictures. One optionallows for a picture to be renamed or deleted. Another option allows thedetails of a selected picture to be viewed. Details of a selectedpicture could include name, size, type, resolution, and capturedate/time. Another option allows for the user to set a selected pictureas the background image for the handheld communication device 300. Yetanother option allows for a selected picture to be designated as acaller ID image. Still another option allows for changing the order ofthe pictures to be shown on the display screen 322. Another option toedit pictures includes the ability to crop an existing image.Furthermore, another option allows the user to group selected picturesinto a photo album. The photo albums should allow for viewing byslideshow. The movement of pictures through the slideshow may becontrolled manually or automatically with preset transitions. Examplesof automatic preset transitions could include 1s, 2s, or 5s. The defaulttransition is manual. The slideshow can also be set to loopcontinuously. While the slideshow is running, the display 322 will notturn off based on user inactivity.

Another IT infrastructure example in which the handheld communicationdevice 300 can operate is described below. The description given belowprovides one example of a system of sending and receiving messages.Other systems are known and this is provided as merely an example of apossible way in which the device can communicate with additionalsystems.

As shown in FIG. 2, an e-mail sender system 10 may, for example, beconnected to an ISP on which a user of a the system 10 has an account,located within a company, possibly connected to a local area network(LAN), and connected to the Internet 20, or connected to the Internet 20through a larger ASP. Alternatively, the connection to the Internet canbe through a wide area network (WAN). The message server 40 may beimplemented, for example on a network computer within the firewall of acorporation, a computer within an ISP or ASP system or the like, andacts as the main interface for e-mail exchange over the Internet 20.Although other messaging systems might not require a message serversystem 40, a handheld device 300 configured for receiving and possiblysending e-mail will normally be associated with an account on a messageserver. Message servers such as server 40 typically extend beyond justsending and receiving e-mail; they also include dynamic database storageengines that have predefined database formats for data like calendars,to-do lists, task lists, e-mail and documentation.

The wireless gateway 85 and infrastructure 90 provide a link between theInternet 20 and wireless network 112. The wireless infrastructure 90determines the most likely network for locating a given user and tracksthe user as they roam between networks. A message is then delivered tothe handheld communication device 300 via a wireless transmission from abase station in the wireless network 112 to the handheld communicationdevice 300.

As shown in FIG. 2, a composed e-mail message 15 is sent by the e-mailsender 10, located on the Internet 20. This message 15 arrives at themessage server 40 and is normally stored in a message store. Somemessaging systems require that the handheld communication device 300request that stored messages be forwarded by the message server to thedevice 300. Other systems provide for automatic routing of suchmessages, these messages are addressed using a specific e-mail addressassociated with the device 300. In a preferred embodiment, described infurther detail below, messages addressed to a message server accountassociated with a host system such as a home computer or officecomputer, which belongs to the user of a communication device 300, areredirected from the message server 40 to the communication device 300 asthey are received.

Additionally, the system of FIG. 2 includes a host system 30, aredirection program 45, a physical cradle device 65, a wireless VPNrouter 75, and another wireless network 110. Although the encodedmessage processing systems and methods described herein may be appliedto networks having many different topologies, the network of FIG. 2 isuseful in understanding an automatic e-mail redirection system mentionedbriefly above. The central host system 30 will typically be a corporateoffice or other LAN, but may instead be a home office computer or someother private system where mail messages are being exchanged. Within thehost system 30 is the message server 40, running on a computer withinthe firewall of the host system, that acts as the main interface for thehost system to exchange e-mail with the Internet 20. In the system ofFIG. 2, the redirection program 45 enables redirection of data itemsfrom the server 40 to a communication device 300. Although theredirection program 45 is shown to reside on the same machine as themessage server 40 for ease of presentation, there is no requirement thatit must reside on the message server. The redirection program 45 and themessage server 40 are designed to co-operate and interact to allow thepushing of information to communication devices 300. In thisinstallation, the redirection program 45 takes confidential andnon-confidential corporate information from a specific user andredirects it out through the corporate firewall to the communicationdevices 300. This push technique may use a wireless friendly encoding,compression and encryption technique to deliver all information to amobile device, thus effectively extending the security firewall toinclude each communication device 300 associated with the host system30.

As shown in FIG. 2, there may be many alternative paths for gettinginformation to the handheld communication device 300. One method forloading information onto the handheld communication device 300 isthrough a port designated 72, using a device cradle 264. This methodtends to be useful for bulk information updates often performed atinitialization of a handheld communication device 300 with the hostsystem 30 or a computer 35 within the system 30. The other main methodfor data exchange is over-the-air using wireless networks to deliver theinformation. As shown in FIG. 2, this may be accomplished through awireless VPN router 75 or through a traditional Internet connection to awireless gateway 85 and a wireless infrastructure 90, as describedabove. The concept of a wireless VPN router 75 is new in the wirelessindustry and implies that a VPN connection could be established directlythrough a specific wireless network 110 to a handheld communicationdevice 300. The possibility of using a wireless VPN router 75 has onlyrecently been available and could be used when the new Internet Protocol(IP) Version 6 (IPV6) arrives into IP-based wireless networks. This newprotocol will provide enough IP addresses to dedicate an IP address toevery handheld communication device 300 and thus make it possible topush information to a handheld communication device 300 at any time. Aprincipal advantage of using this wireless VPN router 75 is that itcould be an off-the-shelf VPN component, thus not requiring the use of aseparate wireless gateway 85 and wireless infrastructure 90. A VPNconnection would preferably be a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)/IPor User Datagram Protocol (UDP)/IP connection to deliver the messagesdirectly to the handheld communication device 300. If a wireless VPN 75is not available, then a link to the Internet 20 is the most commonconnection mechanism available and has been described above.

In the automatic redirection system of FIG. 2, a composed e-mail message15 leaving the e-mail sender 10 arrives at the message server 40 and isredirected by the redirection program 45 to the handheld communicationdevice 300. As this redirection takes place, the message 15 isre-enveloped, as indicated at 80, and a possibly proprietary compressionand encryption algorithm can then be applied to the original message 15.In this way, messages being read on the handheld communication device300 are no less secure than if they were read on a desktop workstationsuch as 35 within the firewall. All messages exchanged between theredirection program 45 and the handheld communication device 300preferably use this message repackaging technique. Another goal of thisouter envelope is to maintain the addressing information of the originalmessage except the sender's and the receiver's address. This allowsreply messages to reach the appropriate destination, and also allows the“from” field to reflect the mobile user's desktop address. Using theuser's e-mail address from the handheld communication device 300 allowsthe received message to appear as though the message originated from theuser's desktop system 35 rather than the handheld communication device300.

With reference back to the port 72 and cradle 65 connectivity to thehandheld communication device 300, this connection path offers manyadvantages for enabling one-time data exchange of large items. For thoseskilled in the art of personal digital assistants (PDAs) andsynchronization, the most common data exchanged over this link isPersonal Information Management (PIM) data 55. When exchanged for thefirst time, this data tends to be large in quantity, bulky in nature andrequires a large bandwidth to get loaded onto the handheld communicationdevice 300 where it can be used on the road. This serial link may alsobe used for other purposes, including setting up a private security key111 such as an S/MIME or PGP specific private key, the Certificate(Cert) of the user and their Certificate Revocation Lists (CRLs) 60. Theprivate key is preferably exchanged so that the desktop 35 and handheldcommunication device 300 share one personality and one method foraccessing all mail. The Cert and CRLs are normally exchanged over such alink because they represent a large amount of the data that is requiredby the device for S/MIME, PGP and other public key security methods.

An exemplary handheld electronic device 300 is shown in the assemblydrawing of FIG. 3 and its cooperation in a wireless network isexemplified in the block diagram of FIG. 18. These figures are exemplaryonly, and those persons skilled in the art will appreciate theadditional elements and modifications necessary to make the device workin particular network environments.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view showing some of the typical components foundin the assembly of the handheld electronic device 300. The constructionof the device benefits from various manufacturing simplifications. Theinternal components are constructed on a single PCB (printed circuitboard) 102. The keyboard 332 is constructed from a single piece ofmaterial, and in a preferred embodiment is made from plastic. Thekeyboard 332 sits over dome switches (not shown) located on the PCB 102in a preferred embodiment. One switch is provided for every key on thekeyboard in the preferred embodiment, but in other embodiments more thanone switch or less than one switch per key are possible configurations.The support frame 101 holds the keyboard 332 and navigation tool 328 inplace above the PCB 102. The support frame 101 also provides anattachment point for the display (not shown). A lens 103 covers thedisplay to prevent damage. When assembled, the support frame 101 and thePCB 102 are fixably attached to each other and the display is positionedbetween the PCB 102 and support frame 101.

The navigation tool 328 is frictionally engaged with the support frame101, but in a preferred embodiment the navigation tool 328 is removablewhen the device is assembled. This allows for replacement of thenavigation tool 328 if it becomes damaged or the user desiresreplacement with a different type of navigation tool 328. In theexemplary embodiment of FIG. 3, the navigation tool 328 is a trackball150 based device. When the navigation tool 328 has a trackball 150, thetrackball 150 itself can be removed without removal of the navigationtool 328. The removal of the trackball 150 is enabled through the use ofan outer removable ring 123 and an inner removable ring 122. These rings122, 123 ensure that the navigation tool 328 and the trackball 150 areproperly held in place against the support frame 101.

The camera module 335 is located together with a backplate 104 on therear side of the device. The camera module 335 is capable of beingremoved and other modules (not shown) inserted in place of the cameramodule. The camera module 335 houses the camera assembly 570, whichincludes a camera 550, a flash 560, and a mirror 565 (further details ofwhich are shown in FIG. 1 b).

A serial port (preferably a Universal Serial Bus port) 330 and anearphone jack 140 are fixably attached to the PCB 102 and further heldin place by left side element 105. Buttons 130, 131, 132, 133 areattached to switches (not shown), which are connected to the PCB 102.

Final assembly involves placing the top piece 107 and bottom piece 108in contact with support frame 101. Furthermore, the assemblyinterconnects right side element 105 and left side element 106 with thesupport frame 101, PCB 102, and lens 103. These side elements 105, 106provide additional protection and strength to the support structure ofthe device 300. In a preferred embodiment, backplate 104 is removablyattached to the other elements of the device.

The block diagram of FIG. 18, representing the communication device 300interacting in the communication network 319, shows the device's 300inclusion of a microprocessor 338 which controls the operation of thedevice 300. The communication subsystem 311 performs all communicationtransmission and reception with the wireless network 319. Themicroprocessor 338 further connects with an auxiliary input/output (I/O)subsystem 328, a serial port (preferably a Universal Serial Bus port)330, a display 322, a keyboard 332, a speaker 334, a microphone 336,random access memory (RAM) 326, flash memory 324, camera module 335, andposition determiner 337. Other communications subsystems 340 and otherdevice subsystems 342 are generally indicated as connected to themicroprocessor 338 as well. An example of a communication subsystem 340is that of a short range communication subsystem such as BLUETOOTH®communication module or an infrared device and associated circuits andcomponents. Additionally, the microprocessor 338 is able to performoperating system functions and preferably enables execution of softwareapplications on the communication device 300.

The above described auxiliary I/O subsystem 328 can take the form of avariety of different subsystems including the above described navigationtool 328. The navigation tool 328 is preferably a trackball 150 baseddevice, but it can be a four way navigational pad, joystick, thumbwheel,touch pad, or a roller barrel. Other auxiliary I/O devices can includeexternal display devices and externally connected keyboards (not shown).While the above examples have been provided in relation to the auxiliaryI/O subsystem, other subsystems capable of providing input or receivingoutput from the handheld electronic device 300 are considered within thescope of this disclosure.

In a preferred embodiment, the communication device 300 is designed towirelessly connect with a communication network 319. Some communicationnetworks that the communication device 300 may be designed to operate onrequire a subscriber identity module (SIM) or removable user identitymodule (RUIM). Thus, a device 300 intended to operate on such a systemwill include SIM/RUIM interface 344 into which the SIM/RUIM card (notshown) may be placed. The SIM/RUIM interface 344 can be one in which theSIM/RUIM card is inserted and ejected.

In an exemplary embodiment, the flash memory 324 is enabled to provide astorage location for the operating system, device programs, and data.While the operating system in a preferred embodiment is stored in flashmemory 324, the operating system in other embodiments is stored inread-only memory (ROM) or similar storage element (not shown). As thoseskilled in the art will appreciate, the operating system, deviceapplication or parts thereof may be loaded in RAM 326 or other volatilememory.

In a preferred embodiment, the flash memory 324 containsprograms/applications 358 for execution on the device 300 including anaddress book 352, a personal information manager (PIM) 354, the devicestate 350, connect module 360, and IT policy module 362. Furthermore,programs 358 and other information 356 can be segregated upon storage inthe flash memory 324 of the device 300. However, another embodiment ofthe flash memory 324 utilizes a storage allocation method such that aprogram 358 is allocated additional space in order to store dataassociated with such program. Other known allocation methods exist inthe art and those persons skilled in the art will appreciate additionalways to allocate the memory of the device 300.

In a preferred embodiment, the device 300 is pre-loaded with a limitedset of programs that enable it to operate on the communication network319. Another program that can be preloaded is a PIM 354 application thathas the ability to organize and manage data items including but notlimited to e-mail, calendar events, voice messages, appointments andtask items. In order to operate efficiently, memory 324 is allocated foruse by the PIM 354 for the storage of associated data. In a preferredembodiment, the information that PIM 354 manages is seamlesslyintegrated, synchronized and updated through the communication network319 with a user's corresponding information on a remote computer (notshown). The synchronization, in another embodiment, can also beperformed through the serial port 330 or other short range communicationsubsystem 340. Other applications may be installed through connectionwith the wireless network 319, serial port 330 or via other short rangecommunication subsystems 340.

When the device 300 is enabled for two-way communication within thewireless communication network 319, it can send and receive signals froma mobile communication service. Examples of communication systemsenabled for two-way communication include, but are not limited to, theGPRS (General Packet Radio Service) network, the UMTS (Universal MobileTelecommunication Service) network, the EDGE (Enhanced Data for GlobalEvolution) network, and the CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) networkand those networks generally described as packet-switched, narrowband,data-only technologies mainly used for short burst wireless datatransfer.

For the systems listed above, the communication device 300 must beproperly enabled to transmit and receive signals from the communicationnetwork 319. Other systems may not require such identifying information.A GPRS, UMTS, and EDGE require the use of a SIM (Subscriber IdentityModule) in order to allow communication with the communication network319. Likewise, most CDMA systems require the use of a RUIM (RemovableIdentity Module) in order to communicate with the CDMA network. The RUIMand SIM card can be used in multiple different communication devices300. The communication device 300 may be able to operate some featureswithout a SIM/RUIM card, but it will not be able to communicate with thenetwork 319. In some locations, the communication device 300 will beenabled to work with special services, such as “911” emergency, withouta SIM/RUIM or with a non-functioning SIM/RUIM card. A SIM/RUIM interface344 located within the device allows for removal or insertion of aSIM/RUIM card (not shown). This interface 344 can be configured likethat of a disk drive or a PCMCIA slot or other known attachmentmechanism in the art. The SIM/RUIM card features memory and holds keyconfigurations 351, and other information 353 such as identification andsubscriber related information. Furthermore, a SIM/RUIM card can beenabled to store information about the user including identification,carrier and address book information. With a properly enabledcommunication device 300, two-way communication between thecommunication device 300 and communication network 319 is possible.

If the communication device 300 is enabled as described above or thecommunication network 319 does not require such enablement, the two-waycommunication enabled device 300 is able to both transmit and receiveinformation from the communication network 319. The transfer ofcommunication can be from the device 300 or to the device 300. In orderto communicate with the communication network 319, the device 300 in apreferred embodiment is equipped with an integral or internal antenna318 for transmitting signals to the communication network 319. Likewisethe communication device 300 in the preferred embodiment is equippedwith another antenna 316 for receiving communication from thecommunication network 319. These antennae 316, 318 in another preferredembodiment are combined into a single antenna (not shown). As oneskilled in the art would appreciate, the antenna or antennae 316, 318 inanother embodiment are externally mounted on the device 300.

When equipped for two-way communication, the communication device 300features a communication subsystem 311. As is well known in the art,this communication subsystem 311 is modified so that it can support theoperational needs of the device 300. The subsystem 311 includes atransmitter 314 and receiver 312 including the associated antenna orantennae 316, 318 as described above, local oscillators (LOs) 313, and aprocessing module 320 which in a preferred embodiment is a digitalsignal processor (DSP) 320.

A signal received by the communication device 300 is first received bythe antenna 316 and then input into a receiver 312, which in a preferredembodiment is capable of performing common receiver functions includingsignal amplification, frequency down conversion, filtering, channelselection and the like, and analog to digital (A/D) conversion. The A/Dconversion allows the DSP 320 to perform more complex communicationfunctions such as demodulation and decoding on the signals that arereceived by DSP 320 from the receiver 312. The DSP 320 is also capableof issuing control commands to the receiver 312. An example of a controlcommand that the DSP 320 is capable of sending to the receiver 312 isgain control, which is implemented in automatic gain control algorithmsimplemented in the DSP 320. Likewise, the communication device 300 iscapable of transmitting signals to the communication network 319. TheDSP 320 communicates the signals to be sent to the transmitter 314 andfurther communicates control functions, such as the above described gaincontrol. The signal is emitted by the device 300 through an antenna 318connected to the transmitter 314.

It is contemplated that communication by the device 300 with thewireless network 319 can be any type of communication that both thewireless network 319 and device 300 are enabled to transmit, receive andprocess. In general, these can be classified as voice and data. Voicecommunication is communication in which signals for audible sounds aretransmitted by the device 300 through the communication network 319.Data is all other types of communication that the device 300 is capableof performing within the constraints of the wireless network 319.

In the instance of voice communications, voice transmissions thatoriginate from the communication device 300 enter the device 300 thougha microphone 336. The microphone 336 communicates the signals to themicroprocessor 338 for further conditioning and processing. Themicroprocessor 338 sends the signals to the DSP 320 which controls thetransmitter 314 and provides the correct signals to the transmitter 314.Then, the transmitter 314 sends the signals to the antenna 318, whichemits the signals to be detected by a communication network 319.Likewise, when the receiver 312 obtains a signal from the receivingantenna 316 that is a voice signal, it is transmitted to the DSP 320which further sends the signal to the microprocessor 338. Then, themicroprocessor 338 provides a signal to the speaker 334 of the device300 and the user can hear the voice communication that has beenreceived. The device 300 in a preferred embodiment is enabled to allowfor full duplex voice transmission.

In another embodiment, the voice transmission may be received by thecommunication device 300 and translated as text to be shown on thedisplay screen 322 of the communication device 300. The communicationdevice 300 is also capable of retrieving messages from a voice messagingservice operated by the communication network operator. In a preferredembodiment, the device 300 displays information in relation to the voicemessage, such as the number of voice messages or an indication that anew voice message is present on the operating system.

In a preferred embodiment, the display 322 of the communication device300 provides an indication about the identity of an incoming call,duration of the voice communication, telephone number of thecommunication device, call history, and other related information. Itshould be appreciated that the above described embodiments are given asexamples only and one skilled in the art may effect alterations,modifications and variations to the particular embodiments withoutdeparting from the scope of the application.

As stated above, the communication device 300 and communication network319 can be enabled to transmit, receive and process data. Severaldifferent types of data exist and some of these types of data will bedescribed in further detail. One type of data communication that occursover the communication network 319 includes electronic mail (e-mail)messages. Typically an e-mail is text based, but can also include othertypes of data such as picture files, attachments and html. While theseare given as examples, other types of messages are considered within thescope of this disclosure as well.

When the e-mail originates from a source outside of the device and iscommunicated to the device 300, it is first received by the receivingantenna 316 and then transmitted to the receiver 312. From the receiver312, the e-mail message is further processed by the DSP 320, and it thenreaches the microprocessor 338. The microprocessor 338 executesinstructions as indicated from the relevant programming instructions todisplay, store or process the e-mail message as directed by the program.In a similar manner, once an e-mail message has been properly processedby the microprocessor 338 for transmission to the communication network319, it is first sent to the DSP 320, which further transmits the e-mailmessage to the transmitter 314. The transmitter 314 processes the e-mailmessage and transmits it to the transmission antenna 318, whichbroadcasts a signal to be received by a communication network 319. Whilethe above has been described generally, those skilled in this art willappreciate those modifications which are necessary to enable thecommunication device 300 to properly transmit the e-mail message over agiven communication network 319.

Furthermore, the e-mail message may instead be transmitted from thedevice 300 via a serial port 330, another communication port 340, orother wireless communication ports 340. The user of the device 300 cangenerate a message to be sent using the keyboard 332 and/or auxiliaryI/O 328, and the associated application to generate the e-mail message.Once the e-mail message is generated, the user may execute a sendcommand which directs the e-mail message from the communication device300 to the communication network 319. In an exemplary embodiment, akeyboard 332, preferably an alphanumeric keyboard, is used to composethe e-mail message. In a preferred embodiment, an auxiliary I/O device328 is used in addition to the keyboard 332.

While the above has been described in relation to e-mail messages, oneskilled in the art could easily modify the procedure to function withother types of data such as SMS text messages, internet websites,videos, instant messages, programs and ringtones. Once the data isreceived by the microprocessor 338, the data is placed appropriatelywithin the operating system of the device 300. This might involvepresenting a message on the display 322 which indicates the data hasbeen received or storing it in the appropriate memory 324 on the device300. For example, a downloaded application such as a game will be placedinto a suitable place in the flash memory 324 of the device 300. Theoperating system of the device 300 will also allow for appropriateaccess to the new application as downloaded.

Exemplary embodiments have been described hereinabove regarding handheldelectronic devices 300 and wireless handheld communication devices 300as well as the communication networks within which they cooperate. Itshould be appreciated, however, that a focus of the present disclosureis the enablement of restricting a subsystem or functional aspect of ahandheld communication device within a set of geographical boundaries.

1. A method for remotely implementing administrative policy on awireless handheld communication device with an incorporated camera, saidmethod comprising: storing data at the wireless handheld communicationdevice that defines geographical boundaries of a restricted operatingarea of the device; ascertaining a present geographical position of thedevice utilizing satellite-derived information and determining whetherthe device is presently located in the restricted operating area basedon a comparison to the stored geographical boundaries of the restrictedoperating area; and imposing a camera restriction on the device when itis determined that the device is presently located in the restrictedarea.
 2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising storingdata at the wireless handheld communication device that defines thecamera restriction that is imposed on the wireless handheldcommunication device based on whether the device is located in therestricted area.
 3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein thedefined camera restriction is disablement of the camera.
 4. The methodas recited in claim 2, wherein the defined camera restriction istemporary disablement of the camera.
 5. The method as recited in claim4, wherein the temporary disablement of the camera lasts for apredetermined time period.
 6. The method as recited in claim 5, whereinthe temporary disablement of the camera lasts until it is ascertainedthat the geographical position of the device is outside the restrictedoperating area.
 7. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:generating said stored data that defines the geographical boundaries ofthe restricted operating area of the device by obtaining a plurality ofboundary location coordinates utilizing said device.
 8. The method asrecited in claim 7, wherein each of said plurality of boundary locationcoordinates is obtained by positioning said device at a locationproximate the geographical boundary and defining said location as a setof coordinates which is saved as part of said stored data.
 9. The methodas recited in claim 8, wherein each set of coordinates is satellitederived.
 10. The method as recited in claim 7, further comprising:transmitting said stored data that defines the geographical boundariesof the restricted operating area to a control server thereby enablingdistribution of said stored data to other wireless handheldcommunication devices as part of an administrative policy.
 11. Themethod as recited in claim 10, further comprising: wirelesslytransmitting said stored data that defines the geographical boundariesof the restricted operating area to a plurality of devices therebyestablishing an administrative policy for said plurality of devices. 12.The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the camera restriction isembedment of a source-identifying watermark in any photographs takenwith the camera when it is determined that the device is presentlylocated in the restricted area.
 13. The method as recited in claim 1,wherein said wireless handheld communication device transmits data to,and receives data from a communication network utilizing radio frequencysignals.
 14. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein the datatransmitted between said wireless handheld communication device and thecommunication network supports voice and textual messaging.
 15. Themethod as recited in claim 1, wherein said wireless handheldcommunication device comprises a lighted display located above akeyboard suitable for accommodating textual input to the wirelesshandheld communication device when said device is in an operableconfiguration and an auxiliary user input that is located essentiallybetween the display and keyboard in the operable configuration.
 16. Themethod as recited in claim 15, said keyboard comprising a plurality ofkeys with which alphabetic letters are associated, one letter per key.17. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein said alphabetic lettersare configured in one of a QWERTY, QWERTZ, and AZERTY layout.
 18. Themethod as recited in claim 17, said keyboard comprising a plurality ofkeys with which alphabetic letters are associated and wherein at least aportion of the individual keys have multiple letters associatedtherewith.
 19. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein saidalphabetic letters are configured in one of a QWERTY, QWERTZ, and AZERTYlayout.
 20. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein said auxiliaryuser input is a trackball.
 21. A method for remotely implementingadministrative policy on a wireless handheld communication device, saidmethod comprising: receiving and storing data at the wireless handheldcommunication device that defines geographical boundaries of arestricted operating area of the device; receiving and storing data atthe wireless handheld communication device that defines a restriction onone of a subsystem or functional aspect of the device that isselectively imposed based on whether the device is located in therestricted area; ascertaining a present geographical position of thedevice utilizing satellite-derived information and determining whetherthe device is presently located in the restricted operating area basedon a comparison to the stored geographical boundaries of the restrictedoperating area; and imposing the defined restriction when it isdetermined that the device is presently located in the restricted area.22. The method as recited in claim 21, wherein the subsystem orfunctional aspect is one of a camera module, a Wi-FI module, a ringer, aremovable storage device, a speaker phone, a wireless communicationsubsystem, and e-mail.
 23. The method as recited in claim 22, whereinthe subsystem or functional aspect is a Wi-Fi module.
 24. The method asrecited in claim 22, wherein the subsystem or functional aspect is aringer.
 25. The method as recited in claim 22, wherein the subsystem orfunctional aspect is a removable storage device.
 26. The method asrecited in claim 22, wherein the subsystem or functional aspect is aspeaker phone.
 27. The method as recited in claim 22, wherein thesubsystem or functional aspect is a wireless communication subsystem.28. The method as recited in claim 22, wherein the subsystem orfunctional aspect is e-mail.
 29. The method as recited in claim 22,wherein the subsystem or functional aspect is a camera module.
 30. Themethod as recited in claim 21, wherein said wireless handheldcommunication device transmits data to, and receives data from acommunication network utilizing radio frequency signals.
 31. The methodas recited in claim 30, wherein the data transmitted between saidwireless handheld communication device and the communication networksupports voice and textual messaging.
 32. The method as recited in claim21, wherein said wireless handheld communication device comprises alighted display located above a keyboard suitable for accommodatingtextual input to the wireless handheld communication device when saiddevice is in an operable configuration and an auxiliary user input thatis located essentially between the display and keyboard in the operableconfiguration.
 33. The method as recited in claim 32, said keyboardcomprising a plurality of keys with which alphabetic letters areassociated, one letter per key.
 34. The method as recited in claim 33,wherein said alphabetic letters are configured in one of a QWERTY,QWERTZ, and AZERTY layout.
 35. The method as recited in claim 32, saidkeyboard comprising a plurality of keys with which alphabetic lettersare associated and wherein at least a portion of the individual keyshave multiple letters associated therewith.
 36. The method as recited inclaim 35, wherein said alphabetic letters are configured in one of aQWERTY, QWERTZ, and AZERTY layout.
 37. The method as recited in claim32, wherein said auxiliary user input is a trackball.
 38. A wirelesshandheld communication device with an incorporated camera, said devicecomprising: a memory storing data defining geographical boundaries of arestricted area and said memory also storing data defining a camerarestriction imposed on the wireless handheld communication devicerelative to the restricted area; a position determiner that receivessatellite-based information that defines a present geographical positionof the device and determines whether the device is presently located inthe restricted area based on a comparison to the geographical boundariesof the restricted area stored in memory; and a controller that adaptsthe functionality of the camera based on the determination of whetherthe device is presently located in the restricted area.
 39. The deviceas recited in claim 38, further comprising: a configuration signalreceiver that receives configuration data from an enterpriseadministrator and the memory stored data that defines the geographicalboundaries of the restricted area is based on the received configurationdata.
 40. The device as recited in claim 38, wherein the controllerdisables the camera when it is determined that the device is presentlylocated in the restricted area.
 41. The device as recited in claim 38,further comprising: a lighted display located above a keyboard suitablefor accommodating textual input to the handheld communication device andan auxiliary user input located essentially between the display andkeyboard.
 42. The handheld communication device as recited in claim 41,wherein said auxiliary user input is a trackball.
 43. The handheldcommunication device as recited in claim 41, further comprising a radiotransmitter capable of transmitting data to a communication networkutilizing radio frequency signals and a radio receiver capable ofreceiving data from the communication network utilizing radio frequencysignals.
 44. The handheld communication device as recited in claim 42,wherein the data transmitted between said handheld communication deviceand the communication network supports voice and textual messaging. 45.The handheld communication device as recited in claim 41, said keyboardcomprising a plurality of keys with which alphabetic letters areassociated, one letter per key.
 46. The handheld communication device asrecited in claim 44, wherein said alphabetic letters are configured inone of a QWERTY, QWERTZ, and AZERTY layout.
 47. The handheldcommunication device as recited in claim 41, said keyboard comprising aplurality of keys with which alphabetic letters are associated andwherein at least a portion of the individual keys have multiple lettersassociated therewith.
 48. The handheld communication device as recitedin claim 47, wherein said alphabetic letters are configured in one of aQWERTY, QWERTZ, and AZERTY layout.
 49. A wireless handheld communicationdevice with an incorporated camera, said device comprising: processingmeans for receiving, processing and outputting electronic data and foroutputting device control signals; memory means for storing data thatdefines geographical boundaries of a restricted operating area and datathat defines a camera restriction that is selectively imposed on thewireless handheld communication device based on whether the device islocated in the restricted area; position determining means forascertaining a present geographical position of the device utilizingsatellite-derived information and determining whether the device ispresently located in the restricted operating area based on a comparisonto the geographical boundaries of the restricted operating area storedin memory; and control means for imposing the defined camera restrictionon the device when it is determined that the device is presently locatedin the restricted area.
 50. The device as recited in claim 49, whereinsaid processing means is configured for receiving electronicconfiguration data from an enterprise administrator and derivingtherefrom memory stored data that defines the geographical boundaries ofthe restricted area.
 51. The device as recited in claim 49, wherein saidcontrol means is configured to disable the camera when it is determinedthat the device is presently located in the restricted area.
 52. Thedevice as recited in claim 51, wherein said control means is configuredto enable the camera when it is determined that the device is presentlylocated outside of the restricted area.
 53. The device as recited inclaim 49, further comprising: a lighted display located above a keyboardsuitable for accommodating textual input to the handheld communicationdevice and an auxiliary user input located essentially between thedisplay and keyboard.
 54. The handheld communication device as recitedin claim 53, wherein said auxiliary user input is a trackball.
 55. Thehandheld communication device as recited in claim 53, further comprisinga radio transmitter capable of transmitting data to a communicationnetwork utilizing radio frequency signals and a radio receiver capableof receiving data from the communication network utilizing radiofrequency signals.
 56. The handheld communication device as recited inclaim 55, wherein the data transmitted between said handheldcommunication device and the communication network supports voice andtextual messaging.
 57. The handheld communication device as recited inclaim 53, said keyboard comprising a plurality of keys with whichalphabetic letters are associated, one letter per key.
 58. The handheldcommunication device as recited in claim 57, wherein said alphabeticletters are configured in one of a QWERTY, QWERTZ, and AZERTY layout.59. The handheld communication device as recited in claim 53, saidkeyboard comprising a plurality of keys with which alphabetic lettersare associated and wherein at least a portion of the individual keyshave multiple letters associated therewith.
 60. The handheldcommunication device as recited in claim 59, wherein said alphabeticletters are configured in one of a QWERTY, QWERTZ, and AZERTY layout.